Complex data models may include storage of information in a large number of data tables, for example, in a relational database. Retrieval of needed information may thus require a significant amount of time to retrieve the information from the data tables, and to process requested information, especially if underlying data models are based on mass data. For example, in manufacturing environments such as automotive assembly environments, a database may store massive amounts of information associated with various parts that may be needed to assemble automobiles. Further, for example, many of the parts may vary from one particular model to another. For example, a door of a minivan may include very different characteristics from a door of a compact automobile. Additionally, a rear door of a hatchback automobile may include very different characteristics, and may include very different related parts, from a driver side door of a large sedan automobile. Thus, an automobile “door” may include many variations. Databases for storing information associated with such parts may include very large amounts of related information for all variations needed for assembling various models of automobiles, with variations within each model. Further, such information may change over time, and may thus need to be updated within the database.
Integrated Product and Process Engineering (iPPE) may include a master data model for configurable products/materials that have many variants. iPPE may support concurrent product development and production process design, which may reduce time to market. It may include the collection of engineering- and manufacturing-specific information, such as bills of materials (BOMs), routings, and line designs in a single, integrated model, and may be particularly suited to repetitive manufacturing of products with a large number of variants.
However, when information is stored in conventional data tables in a database, data may need to be retrieved from each table included in the data base that is associated with the data model. A very large application object with massive amounts of data may require processing by multiple interfaces when reading large amounts of this data, which may adversely affect performance. For example, for retrieval of iPPE data, multiple application programming interfaces (APIs) may be invoked to retrieve all information that may be needed by various applications. The retrieval time and processing time for execution of such APIs in reading information from a database may significantly affect the performance of a system such as a manufacturing system.
Thus, it may be desirable to provide techniques for managing storage and retrieval of complex database information.